Golden opportunity awaits Joe Burrow, LSU in showdown at Auburn

Updated September 13, 2018 at 9:55 AM;Posted September 13, 2018 at 9:54 AM

LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow (9) makes his way off the field after LSU defeated the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 31-0 in Baton Rouge on Saturday, September 8, 2018. ((Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com |)

Burrow has never played in a game like the one he will play at Auburn.

LSU's junior quarterback is about to receive his SEC baptism in one of the wildest, wooliest places in college football.

Jordan-Hare Stadium is annually ranked among the most hostile venues in college football. Auburn has won 13 consecutive games there, including their last nine by double-digit margins. They beat No. 2 Georgia and top-ranked Alabama there last year by 23 and 12 points, respectively.

The Plains are such inhospitable territory that redshirt senior Garrett Brumfield felt compelled to address teammates at a team meeting on Monday in an attempt to prepare them for the challenge ahead.

"If we go in timid and soft," Burrow told reporters on Monday, "we're going to get rolled in, Auburn Stadium? What's it called?"

Rest assured, Burrow's ignorance, no matter how innocent or light-hearted, will reach the Auburn faithful by Saturday's 2:30 p.m. kickoff. Jordan-Hare will be in his ears and his face from the moment he steps on the field.

"I anticipate this being one of the loudest (environments), and I'm excited for it," Burrow said. "... I don't think it's intimidating to me."

Key word there: think.

We - and Burrow - won't know how he will react in the situation until he experiences it. To be sure, Burrow carries himself with a cocksure self-assurance. His confidence is one of his strengths. The son of a coach, mental toughness has been steeled in him from an early age.

But he's never played in an environment like Jordan-Hare against a team like 7th-ranked Auburn, at least not as a starting quarterback.

Heretofore, his playing experience has consisted almost entirely of cozy home games or mop-up duty in blowout wins at Ohio State. The Miami game was played on a neutral field before a partisan LSU crowd.

"This is going to be different," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said knowingly this week,

The last time LSU played a ranked Auburn team at Jordan-Hare with such an inexperienced quarterback it wasn't pretty. In 2014, Brandon Harris completed just 3 of 14 passes for 58 yards and fifth-ranked Auburn throttled No. 15 LSU 41-7.

LSU won at Jordan-Hare in 2008 with freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee, but that victory came against a pedestrian Auburn squad that finished 5-7 and fired coach Tommy Tuberville at season's end.

And since then, Auburn has become much more formidable under Coach Gus Malzahn. The Tigers have won seven of the past nine games against LSU on the Plains and are 11-4 against LSU there since 1981.

LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow (9) on playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium: "I anticipate this being one of the loudest (environments), and I'm excited for it. ... I don't think it's intimidating to me."(Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com |

"There's going to be some pressure," Orgeron said. "He (Burrow) seems like he's held (up to) the pressure pretty good. There's going to be some adversity in the game. There's going to be some challenging moments. We're going to find out what we're about. I think he's going to pass the test. He'll do well."

Burrow has looked more than competent in his two games at LSU, but it's still difficult to know exactly what the Tigers have in him. He hasn't lit the world on fire, but he also hasn't spontaneously combusted the LSU offense with egregious mistakes.

The good news: Under Burrow's stewardship, LSU hasn't committed a turnover in two games, one of six teams nationally without a giveaway.

The bad news: The LSU offense is ranked last in the SEC with an average of 315.5 yards a game.

Burrow has completed only 47.7 percent of his 44 passes for an SEC-low average of 118 yards a game. To be fair, his numbers have been skewed by a handful of drops by his receivers. Inconsistent pass protection from a reshuffled offensive line hasn't helped matters.

Now Burrow is staring down the barrel of one of the best front 7s in college football. Under defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, Auburn has held 23 of 29 opponents to fewer rushing yards than their pregame average. Auburn ranks third in the nation in sacks (4.5 per game) and 15th in tackles for loss (9 per game).

"We're going to have to throw the ball to win the game," Burrow said. "If we can't, we're going to lose the game. It's pretty simple."

It will be interesting to see what kind of game plan Steve Ensminger compiles for this one. With Auburn averaging 41 points a game during its 13-game home winning streak, he can't afford to be conservative. At some point, he's going to have to put the game in the hands of his new quarterback and see what he can do.

"He can make some plays, extend plays with his feet, and I think you're going to see more of that," Orgeron said of Burrow. "He's grown comfortable with his teammates. I think Joe is going to lead by example and as soon as he wins the big game, you're going to see a lot more confidence in him."

Saturday's contest at Auburn would certainly quality as a big game. It's also golden opportunity for Burrow, who has been on campus for less than four months. Win this and the buy-in from teammates grows immeasurably.

Win this and everything changes for him, and by extension, LSU football. The Tigers will be 3-0 and have winnable games against Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Florida on deck.

Win this game, and Baton Rouge will be Burrow's oyster, even if he doesn't know how to eat them yet.